Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International) has emerged as the likely buyer for the frequent flier plan topbonus of its partner carrier Air Berlin (1991) (Berlin Tegel). The German carrier's CEO Hartmut Mehdorn had announced at the end of last month that topbonus would become a separate commercial entity and that a majority stake in the new loyalty company would be sold. Etihad has now applied for approval from the Austrian antitrust authority to acquire 100% of topbonus.